What's the deal with the PeopleMover?

The Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover - aka TTA, aka PeopleMover is one of the most underrated attractions at Disney World. Officially, it’s a 10-minute tour of Tomorrowland aboard a mass transit system of the future.

Unofficially, it’s a wonderful spot to rest your feet, relax and take in the awesomeness of Tomorrowland.

The TTA is an elevated tram that hits top speeds of 7 mph so it’s not a thrill ride at all. It’s an omni-mover that you board from a rotating platform. Once you board and your tram moves out of the loading area, it speeds up to 7, which does sound slow but feels surprisingly quick when it takes off!

Get your camera ready as you’ll enjoy amazing up-close views of the park from a unique vantage point.

Having been closed since before the park shut down last spring, it has finally reopened!! I can’t wait to ride it again - I have some great memories from my TTA travels. Check out all of the photos below and please contact me when you’re ready to take a ride on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover!!!



Jungle (or Jingle!) Cruise - a Review of this Fan-Favorite Disney Attraction

“Everyone turn around and wave goodbye to the folks back on the dock … they may never see you again. But then again, you probably never saw them before, either.” This is just one of the wonderfully bad jokes you’ll hear on the World Famous Jungle Cruise at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.

I have to be honest - up until my recent trip, I had only ridden this once and thought it was a tad on the boring side. It’s a 10-minute ride through a jungle river with animatronics. The “skippers” of the boats keep you entertained with jokes throughout the ride.

That’s where my original problem with the ride happened - the jokes. I must have gotten a skipper that just wasn’t into it that day because I didn’t even chuckle once. But consistently, wait times are high for this ride and I have several clients that put it in their top 3 at Magic Kingdom!

So I decided I’d better give it another shot. I’m so glad I did! I laughed out loud many times and was truly disappointed for the ride to end. I ended up riding it several times one day and laughed each and every time. Although the skippers give the same basic speech on the tour, they ad-lib quite a bit. And yes, it’s corny but in a really fun way.

The lines do get long so I’d definitely recommend FastPass. This attraction is outdoors and the queue, while covered, can get very uncomfortable on a warm day. I wouldn’t use this one as one of your 3 pre-booked FastPasses, but as soon as you use your third one, snag one for this.

At Christmas, the attraction is transformed into the Jingle Cruise. Join the homesick skippers as they set out on a holly, jolly journey packed with shenanigans. The boathouse and beyond are decked out with merry décor that’s been mailed to the skippers or that they've created themselves. They’re even unwrapping a few holiday jokes to help everyone get in the spirit.

The murky water passengers sail through is dyed brown, dark green, or muddy blue. The coloring serves two purposes: It provides a more realistic portrayal of swampy waters, of course, but it also conceals the fact that the cruise ships are on a track in a pool that’s less than four feet deep in most areas.

Legend has it that the Jungle Cruise is what inspired Walt Disney to decide that his parks would never be complete. Walt was strolling through Disneyland when he heard a young boy asking his mom to take him on the Jungle Cruise. The mother replied something to the effect of, “No, we did that last time we were here.” Hearing that, Walt decided he had to keep changing and improving things in order to keep guests coming back.

It’s a 10-minute, 10,000-mile journey that you won't soon forget! Call me and let’s get you headed to the Jungle!! It’s always free to use my trip booking and planning services!!!

Here's a Great Way to Have Some Halloween Fun - Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party!!

Yes, I realize that Halloween is in just a couple of days so if you aren’t already on your way to Florida, you’re probably not likely to get to enjoy this party this year. But it’s NEVER TOO EARLY to start planning for next year! Here’s what’s happening this year and what to most likely expect when this spook-tacular celebration returns in 2020!

Get your favorite costume ready and make your plans to live it up—collecting candies, sweets and delightful treats—all while Magic Kingdom park thrills and chills you with special fireworks, eerie entertainment and Disney Characters that go bump in the night.

Best of all: since this event is “not-so-scary,” children of every age can enjoy the fun! But guess what - EVERYONE (including you adults) gets to trick-or-treat! And you’ll get POUNDS of candy!

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The party starts at 7PM but you can get into the park as early as 4PM with your party ticket. The party goes from 7PM to midnight each night. This does require a separate party ticket - your normal park admission will not grant you access.

2019 prices - Party ticket costs are dependent on what day you’re going. Disney has placed a premium fee on more popular party nights like weekends and Halloween night. Party tickets start at $79 for adults and go all the way up to $135 for Halloween night.

One other money saving tip – if you buy at least a day in advance, you’ll save $10 per ticket! The only night the discount doesn’t apply is Halloween night. 

Park Attractions and New Additions

Bewitching surprises and spellbinding enhancements await at select attractions during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party!

Don’t miss your chance to see some of your favorite Magic Kingdom attractions like you’ve never seen them before!

  • Space Mountain: Rocket through this popular attraction in complete darkness to the riffs and chords of a new Halloween-inspired soundtrack.

  • Pirates of the Caribbean: Set sail for the high seas and discover a crew of live pirates engaged in a whole new adventure doing what pirates do best: search for treasure!

  • Mad Tea Party: Spin yourself into a frenzy as special lighting and music effects enhance the fur-raising experience!

  • Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor: Follow a treat trail from our Human World into the Monster World and interact with a comic cast of monsters eager to learn about this holiday we call Halloween.

Come in Costume for the Occasion

There are some rules, though!

  • Disney reserves the right to deny admission to or remove any person wearing attire that is considered inappropriate or could detract from the experience of other Guests.

  • All Guests may dress as their favorite character, but may not pose for pictures or sign autographs for other Guests.

  • Costumes must be family-friendly and may not be obstructive, offensive, objectionable or violent.

  • Costumes may not contain any weapons that resemble or could easily be mistaken for an actual weapon.

  • Costumes may not contain sharp objects, pointed objects or materials that may accidentally strike another Guest.

  • Guests who do not adhere to these guidelines may be refused entry into, and/or removed from, the park unless his or her costume can be modified to meet the above standards.

GUESTS AGES 13 AND UNDER

  • Costumes and some masks may be worn, as long as the mask does not cover the entire face and eyes are visible.

GUESTS AGES 14 AND OLDER

  • Layered costumes or costume props that surround the entire body are strongly discouraged and may be subject to additional security screening.

  • Costumes may not reach or drag on the ground. (e.g., full-length Princess dresses)

  • Capes may be worn if the length does not go below the waist.

  • Themed T-shirts, blouses, sweatshirts and hats are acceptable.

  • Acceptable accessories include: transparent wings, plastic light sabers, toy swords and tutus. Headwear may be worn as long as it does not cover the face.

  • Masks of any kind may not be worn.

All rules and regulations are subject to change without notice.

Magic Shots – NEW!

Conjure up some camera wizardry of your own—add an animated mirror or the park’s most popular poltergeists to your pics! Be sure to purchase the Memory Maker ahead of time for a savings!!

Who’s the not-so-scariest of them all? Magic Shots add Disney Characters to Disney PhotoPass photos—after they’ve been taken! Strike your most macabre pose, then watch as an all-new animated magic mirror, The Haunted Mansion’s grim grinning ghosts and other supernatural surprises appear right before your eyes.

 
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Here are this year’s special party entertainment offerings:

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Disney’s Not So Spooky Spectacular Fireworks

Gather ‘round as your host—Jack Skellington—delights with this not so scary-tale that proves anything can happen at Halloween!

During a frightfully fun fireworks display, Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy are spirited away to a mysterious haunted house where they encounter dancing skeletons, waltzing ghosts and a sinister gathering of Disney villains!

Don’t miss this dazzling spectacular featuring state-of-the-art projection effects, lasers, light and fireworks during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party—offered select nights August 16 through November 1, 2019.

It’s a Spooktacular Procession

Get in the Halloween spirit as dastardly villains and ghastly ghouls float by during this spellbinding parade.

Twice nightly, this staple of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party brings forth a cavalcade of fiendishly fun floats, as each land of the Magic Kingdom comes together to celebrate Halloween. Parade highlights include:

  • A flurry of favorite Disney friends, including Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse—in all-new Halloween costumes—trick-or-treating down Main Street, U.S.A.

  • Hitchhiking Ghosts and a new addition—the spectral Bride, who glides among the waltzing spirits—representing the Haunted Mansion from Liberty Square

  • A new Tomorrowland unit featuring The Incredibles and designer extraordinaire Edna Mode, followed by Buzz Lightyear and some alien explorers

  • Wreck-It Ralph, Vanellope von Schweetz and the girls from Sugar Rush making sure there’s plenty of sweet stuff to go around

  • Pirates sailing in from Adventureland, Clarabelle Cow hosting a square dance during a Frontierland hoedown and a wicked assortment of Disney Villains reigning over a Fantasyland-inspired grand finale.

Be sure to secure your place along the route early! You won’t want to miss the Headless Horseman’s daring ride through Magic Kingdom park just before the parade.

 
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See Favorite Characters All Dressed Up

Meet and mingle with Disney friends—some wearing their own special Halloween costumes!

From spooky to spectacular, don’t miss the fun when Disney Characters step out in their “haunt-couture.”.

 
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Halloween-Inspired Harm-onies

Venture into Frontierland and you just might encounter the ghostly group known as the Cadaver Dans. They really like "axing" Guests questions… and answering with puns as part of their "dead pan" humor!

Moseying back again in 2019 for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, this Dapper Dans-style “band” will have you howling in laughter to a bone-rattling bevy of tunes—which may include:

  • “Boo”

  • “Cruella DeVil”

  • “Darkness On The Delta”

  • “Ghost Riders In The Sky”

  • “Grim Grinning Ghosts”

  • “Happy Trails To You”

  • “Home On The Range”

  • “Lone Prairie”

  • “Rawhide”

  • “The Headless Horseman”

  • “The Oogie Boogie Song”

  • “Trick Or Treat”

  • “Tumblin' Tumbleweeds”

  • “WaHoo”

  • “Why Do They Call Me A Tenderfoot”


It’s Fun to Be Bad

The mischievous Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus return in 2019 to throw a Halloween party.

With only a few hours to run amuck at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Winifred, Mary and Sarah decide to use their magic to host a decidedly wicked fun fest.

Enlisting the help of the Disney villains, the 3 sisters mix sinister shadows, terrifying nightmares and use the nefarious powers of their frightening colleagues to conjure the ultimate Hocus Pocus Party Potion—and cast a spell on everyone in Magic Kingdom park!

Look for appearances from Dr. Facilier, Oogie Boogie and Maleficent. Combine them and other great Disney villains with amazing dancers, wild visual projections and otherworldly special effects to make Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular a not-to-be-missed Halloween treat.

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Call me and let’s get started planning your spooky fun trip for Halloween 2020!! It’s always free to use my booking and planning services!!!











That Time I Went to Magic Kingdom WITH ZERO CROWDS!!!

A couple of trips ago, I missed out on the opportunity to go to a Magic Kingdom After Hours event and have been kicking myself ever since. Thankfully on my most recent trip, the timing worked out and I was there on a night they were doing the After Hours party. Let me tell you, I can’t recommend this enough!! For those of you that love the attractions but hate the crowds, THIS IS FOR YOU!!!

Take a look at the blog post I did originally on the party details by clicking here. There are just a couple of updates from that post. Obviously those dates are in the past so be sure and ask me for the new ones (they are currently only scheduled through Jan 2020). The prices for After Hours at Magic Kingdom are currently $129 per ticket . Animal Kingdom also does an After Hours event for the same price, but honestly I don’t think you’d get nearly as much bang for your buck there. Not as many attractions are open and the animals are mostly asleep!

Check out these photos from my night at Magic Kingdom. I’m not even joking when I say that I really felt alone a good portion of the night. I rarely ran into other Guests. I saw many more Cast Members than Guests throughout the park.

Disney doesn’t publish the number of tickets available for these events, but they are extremely limited and often sell out. You’ll also pay a few dollars more if you purchase the tickets at the gate if they still have any available. So be sure to let me know if you’re interested in this and I’ll get your tickets in advance and attach them to your MyDisneyExperience account.

I just have one word of warning if you’re doing this party - don’t overdo it on the free ice cream/popcorn/soft drinks! I ate a bit too much and felt pretty queasy after the third time in a row on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Totally worth the queasiness but I might spread out the snacks a bit more next time!

Don’t have a trip planned to Disney at the moment? Let’s change that! Give me a call and I’ll plan and book your trip with no hassle and NO FEES! It’s always free to use my trip planning services to any Disney or Universal destination.

The Kiss Goodnight - A Magic Kingdom Magical Moment

If you’re any kind of Disney World fan, you’ve probably seen or at least heard of the Kiss Goodnight. If you haven’t, then enjoy today’s blog post about one of the most Magical moments you can experience at the Magic Kingdom.

Being my favorite park by far, I can find tons of Magical moments in the Kingdom. But the Kiss Goodnight is the top of the list. It’s Disney’s way of saying goodnight to the guests that remain in the park after closing. It’s around 2 minutes long and usually happens every half hour starting 30 minutes after the park officially closes. I saw it twice one night but have heard others that saw it 3 times so if you miss it, try to hang around another half hour and catch the next one. Sadly, they will eventually kick you out (in a very kind Disney way), so try to make a point to catch the first one.

You’ll know it’s starting when Cinderella Castle starts to twinkle as the music from When You Wish Upon a Star begins to play.

It may surprise you to find out that this trip was my first time to see the Kiss Goodnight in person. Since you can get in line for any ride you’d like mere minutes before closing, I usually try to get one last ride on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train or Peter Pan’s Flight. That’s great but timing has never worked out and it’s usually more than 30 minutes before I get back over to the Castle.

This time I made a point of getting back over there and sacrificed my last ride (it helps that it wasn’t my last night in the parks). There’s something about being there after the park closes. There are also very few people who stay to watch this (someone explain that to me) and it feels like you have the Castle to yourself.

Just in case you’ve never seen it, take a look at my video here! Just don’t blame me if you get tears in your eyes…

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Let’s get you to Magic Kingdom as it’s SO much better in person! Give me a call! Remember there are no fees for my services and I can’t wait to help you upgrade the Magic!

That Time I Went To Disney World by Myself... AGAIN...

Here we are again. I know you’ve heard my stories of going to Disney by myself but those times involved a training class so I really couldn’t take my family. This one’s a bit different. I wanted to be at Walt Disney World on the Opening Day of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. I was able to score some great deals on hotel and tickets and had points for my flight. So for a solo trip it was super cheap. Once I started pricing adding the boys in, the price skyrocketed (most of my travel agent perks can’t be used for family).

So I made them a promise to take them back in a year or so once the newness of Galaxy’s Edge wore off a bit. Back when I booked this, the talk was pretty much that the lines would be so ridiculous that I may not get on the attraction or even into the land. Knowing that waiting in a line for an entire day would be torture to all but me, I decided to book my trip alone.

I know I could have just gone for that one day, but really, who are we kidding? If I’m going all the way to Florida, I’m making it worth my while. I got there 3 days prior to the opening and spent every possible moment in the parks. I did shows and rides that we typically don’t do as a family. In fact, I probably spent over a third of my time doing things that the boys wouldn’t have been interested in. That helped ease the guilt a bit!

Although I truly did miss them all, I’m thankful to have had the time to explore on my own. I learned even more about my favorite place on Earth and made the most of my trip. There are a few downsides to traveling alone - mainly having no one to ride with and visit with! But there are a lot of upsides to it also. Today I’ll list those for you!

I know a normal person probably won’t schedule a solo vacation to Disney World, but you never know when you may have a conference or a reason to be there alone. Do me a favor and if that happens, call me to talk about how to have a great trip by yourself! Check out my pics of the fun I had alone and then keep reading below those for the reasons you’ll want to do just that…

Your Schedule

When you go with family or friends, you can’t do whatever you want whenever you want to. Unless you’re a bit of a bully. Everyone should have input on what to do. And if you’re the type like me to want to go from open to close (and beyond), going alone makes that easy. I got 3 hours sleep one night, up for 23.5 hours the next day and then 4 hours sleep the next night. I can handle that at least for a few days at Disney. My kids would have melted down along the way.

Price

Obviously one person is cheaper than a family when you’re talking hotel, flight and tickets. But the food costs are much less also. And I skipped a few meals and had snacks instead. Much easier on your own. Since I was alone, I also decided to do an After Hours Party. At $125 a ticket per person, that adds up to A LOT for a family. While it’s still a lot for just me, I felt like it was totally worth it. I’ll devote an entire blog post to this miracle of a party coming up!

Work

If you have a job that requires you to check-in while you’re gone or do some remote work, you have the freedom to do that without worrying others are waiting for you. I had some sweet clients that were in the midst of dealing with the incoming hurricane and I was able to sit on a curb in Toy Story Land and work on that for them. I would have felt awful if my boys were waiting on that curb the whole time with me.

Less “Stuff”

By less stuff, I mean there is less to carry around. But also, less to buy (I can sometimes stop myself from wanting souvenirs). When a rainstorm hit, I only had to worry about one poncho. And security was a breeze due to the little amount I carried with me.

No One to Make Fun of Me

Ok, so to balance out the “lonely” times where I wished I had a buddy to sit next to me on a ride, or talk about something amazing I just saw, there were times when the boys would have made fun of me for sure. I love to pose for ALL of the Magic Shots and Character Meetings (they don’t). And I always get teary-eyed and sometimes flat out cry during the fireworks. (That’s some sort of weird trick Disney does because fireworks most definitely don’t normally make me cry).

Less Stress

I’m that weird Mom that is convinced I’m going to lose a kid every time we’re in a large crowd. Yes, they are too old to get lost and all have cell phones but it’s a phobia I can’t shake. No worries about that when you’re by yourself!

No Mousekeeping

Probably the most surprising thing as I normally don’t even consider it, is that I used the option of refusing Mousekeeping (hotel room housekeeping) and instead they gave me a $30 gift card. With 3 boys, we’d be in a filthy pit after a few days. By myself I was able to keep the room clean on my own (as I was rarely there) and brought home a sweet sweatshirt instead.

Please call me when you’re thinking of a trip - solo or with 50 of your closest friends. I truly love helping everyone have a Magical time and I don’t charge a penny for it!!!



Hey! Watch Where You're Walking!!

I’ve mentioned before that one of my favorite things about Disney World (and all things Disney actually…) is their attention to detail. One of the seemingly small things is the ground that you walk on! In today’s post, I’ll focus on the interesting things to see on the ground at the Magic Kingdom, but keep your eyes open at all of the parks - the detail isn’t limited to the Magic Kingdom.

As you may have read in the past, my favorite spot in the Magic Kingdom just happens to be the Tangled restroom area. Don’t worry, I don’t have a medical condition that keeps me near the bathrooms, it’s just that this is the only real Tangled area in the park and that’s my fav Disney movie. Plus, the area is actually really pretty regardless of what’s housed there. One detail I love is that if you look down, you’ll see that my favorite horse, Maximus, has been there!

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Next up is the line queue and surrounding area of Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid. Scattered throughout the area are tons of colorful sea shells.

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For more colorful sidewalks, head on over to The Magic Carpets of Aladdin. Here you’ll find an assortment of broken tiles, jewelry and stones. Looks like someone may have dropped a bit of their loot from the Cave of Wonders!

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I haven’t had a chance to see the new Dumbo movie but it’s on my list! While you’re visiting the Dumbo area in the park, look down to see the discarded peanut shells. Dumbo and his friends are a messy bunch!

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One of the most interesting (and historically accurate) pavement areas is found in Liberty Square. Notice the brown area of pavement that winds through the middle of the area below. It’s actually there to represent the fact that during Colonial times, there was no indoor plumbing. People pretty much just threw their bathroom waste into the road creating this brown “river.” Yeah, it’s gross but Disney wants to educate you as well as entertain!!

Have you noticed any of these or any other ground-level fun I’ve missed? Let me know in the comments!! Remember, I will book and plan your Disney trip for FREE so you can get there and see what you’ve been missing!